Bangkok Declaration 2 nd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit One Asia, Diverse Strengths 9 10 October 2016, Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand We, the Heads of State, Heads of Government and Heads of Delegation of the Member States of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), namely, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the People s Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People s Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, the State of Kuwait, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Lao People s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Nepal, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of the Philippines, the State of Qatar, the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Singapore, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Republic of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; Having met in Bangkok, the Kingdom of Thailand, for the 2 nd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit from 9 to 10 October 2016; WELCOMING the Republic of Turkey and Nepal as the new ACD Member States and the United Arab Emirates as the new ACD Chair; REITERATING the commitment of the 34 Member States to the objectives, roles and principles of the Dialogue as a Pan-Asian platform wherein high-level policy makers can exchange ideas and experiences that will contribute to regional development and the future of an Asian community. EXPRESSING our appreciation to the Government of the State of Kuwait for hosting the 1 st ACD Summit in 2012; UNDERLINING the continuity of ACD s positive thinking and proactive mission in the region, as well as its core values, namely, informality, inclusiveness, voluntarism, respect for the comfort level of each other, openness for diversity, results-oriented character, evolving nature of the Dialogue, and active participation of ACD Member States and its stakeholders in our cooperation projects and annual activities;
2 AFFIRMING the importance of cooperation that brings peace, stability and shared prosperity and harmony among ACD Member States with the aim of achieving inclusive growth and sustainable development; STRESSING the importance of the principle of sovereign equality between states enshrined in the UN Charter and international law, including the principle of noninterference, which ensures development, guarantees the stability of the international community as well as international peace and security; RECOGNIZING the evolving economic architecture of Asia and the ever changing forces of globalization, connectivity including transnational mobility, contributing to Asia being a preeminent hub of trade, investment, enterprises and a labour force that supplies the growing demand of regional and international markets; UNDERSCORING the need for a shared vision statement comprising our common aspirations and actions that will lay down the next steps for ACD future cooperation consistent with our regional and global development agenda; DO HEREBY PROCLAIM AS FOLLOWS: (1) We welcome the 2 nd ACD Summit under the theme, One Asia, Diverse Strengths, and all related-activities hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand during 8 10 October 2016 in Bangkok and note in particular the importance of such High-Level Meeting which brings together ACD Leaders and Heads of Delegation from 34 Member States to reaffirm their continued support for the ACD cooperation framework and to exchange views on ways to advance ACD cooperation for shared peace, stability, prosperity and benefits accruing to the Asian region and people over the next decades. (2) We appreciate the work of our Foreign Ministers at the 14 th ACD Ministerial Meeting under the theme ACD: The Way Forward hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand during 9 10 March 2016 in Bangkok, and endorse the outcome of the ACD Foreign Ministers Meeting, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, during UNGA71 on 22 September 2016 in New York. (3) We endorse the ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation 2030 as our shared aspiration for ACD future collaboration towards creating an Asian community. We welcome the continuity of the ACD process as a continent-wide platform wherein Member States can jointly shape regional cooperation recommendations for the inclusive and sustainable development of Asia, while maintaining the comfort level of all participants. Recognizing our strengths, diversity and economic potential, we see Asia by 2030 as a prosperous, peaceful and responsible continent, seamlessly connected through the growing web of connectivity, globalization and evolving architecture of our societies and economies, bringing about positive benefits for all stakeholders of ACD Member States, particularly the
3 governments, the private sector and peoples. Thus, we reaffirm our commitment to translate this vision into action taking into account the suggested elements in the Blueprint 2017-2021 which appears as Annex. (4) We resolve to strengthen the framework of Asia cooperation by giving priority to the agreed 6 consolidated pillars of cooperation that are in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to promote inclusive growth and sustainable development in the region, with Member States designated as Prime Mover(s) in each pillar, as follows: - Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security: China, UAE, Viet Nam (co-prime mover), Indonesia (co-prime mover), Saudi Arabia (coprime mover), Bahrain (co-prime mover), Bangladesh (co-prime mover), Indonesia (co-prime mover), the Philipines (co-prime mover) - Connectivity: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia (co-prime mover), India (co-prime mover), Bahrain (co-prime mover), Kuwait (co-prime mover), Bangladesh (co-prime mover) - Science, Technology, and Innovation: Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia (co-prime mover), Bahrain (co-prime mover), the Philippines (co-prime mover) - Education and Human Resource Development: Saudi Arabia, Malaysia (co-prime mover), Bahrain (co-prime mover), the Philippines (co-prime mover) - Culture and Tourism: Iran, Pakistan (co-prime mover), Cambodia (coprime mover), Nepal (co-prime mover) - Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Thailand, Bhutan (co-prime mover), Viet Nam (co-prime mover), Saudi Arabia (co-prime mover), Bahrain (co-prime mover), Kuwait (coprime mover) For the ACD to be results and action-oriented, we encourage those Member States which are the Prime Movers in each pillar to establish an open-ended Working Group to drive cooperation under the pillar forward. 4.1 Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security We are committed to ensuring food, water and energy for all people in our continent. Therefore, we share a common goal to increase Asia s capacity in addressing the interrelation of food, water and energy security through technical assistance, capacity building, sharing best practices, experiences and technology in the region, and strengthening cooperation on sustainable management and utilization of water resources.
4 4.2 Connectivity We attach great importance to the connectivity agenda, with a particular emphasis on the benefits and application of connectivity to other areas of regional cooperation such as quality infrastructure development, logistics, trade and investment, finance, tourism, education as well as people-to-people contacts. Enhancing connectivity in the ACD will help bridge regional missing links and reinforce the inclusive and complementary nature of ACD as a pan-asian forum that builds upon the work of other regional frameworks. We therefore agree on the need of developing a more in-depth multidimensional connectivity among ACD Member States and collectively work on advancing seamless physical connectivity by land, sea and air, as well as the inter-operability and/or harmonization of rules, regulations and standards to improve the institutional connectivity of Asia. We will also strive to implement new connectivity projects at national and regional levels. 4.3 Science, Technology, and Innovation We envision advanced scientific researches, technological developments and innovations occurring in a dynamic environment of Asia over the next decade. We aim for Asia to be a leading community of young scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators who collaborate on all important scientific and innovative issues. The sharing of knowledge, expertise, science, technology and innovation among ACD members will make our region more advanced, equitable and sustainable. 4.4 Education and Human Resource Development We reiterate our desire to train the future generation of ACD peoples, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels for them and to equip them with key capacities, particularly, financial literacy, digital literacy, language skills, and a better perspective of their role and responsibility as good global citizens. It is our hope to provide standardized knowledge and professional skillsets to address inequality in education, bridge the gap in human development and build a competitive workforce in the region that responds to the needs of the marketplace. We appreciate the role of the Asia e-university in Kuala Lumpur as an instrument for capacity building and increasing higher education accessibility for the benefit of ACD Member States. We take note of the establishment of the ACD University Network and encourage further cooperation and activities amongst the ACD Member States under this voluntary network. 4.5 Culture and Tourism We attach importance to cultural diversity and the promotion of intra-asian tourism. The dynamism of future connectivity and globalization will make Asia a leading hub of multicultural cooperation. Promoting better understanding of local values, principles, and tradition among our nations will facilitate closer and
5 broader people-to-people contacts which are an important prerequisite for the establishment of an Asian people-centered community. We call for integrating cultural and creative industries, in pertinence to the signficiant role of new technologies as important tools for harnessing the productive potentials of culture and creativity. The sharing of knowledge, experience and expertise among ACD Member States will facilitate the growth of cultural and creative industries of ACD Members, and reducing the existing gap that persists between ACD Members. 4.6 Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development We support the promotion of inclusive and sustainable development as an on-going process among ACD Member States in pursuance of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We welcome Thailand s proposal to establish and lead an ACD Working Group on Sustainable Development to explore synergy among ACD Member States in this development area, including homegrown approaches to sustainable and inclusive development. Among such approaches is Thailand s prominent Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) which aims to harmonize the economic, social and environmental aspects of development and Bhutan s Concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which is a home-grown, holistic approach to sustainable development. (5) For the effective operation of the ACD process, the ACD Secretariat shall be located in the State of Kuwait with the continuing generous arrangements provided by the Government of Kuwait with appropriate legal status. Further refinements to the Secretariat s operation, such as funding model, responsibilities, staffing, among others, are to be discussed at a future date. (6) We encourage the ACD to establish and promote dialogues with international, regional and sub-regional forums and organizations in Asia, as agreed in the Manama Declaration. (7) We are committed to promoting the engagement of the private sector in the ACD to encourage better interaction among our business people, MSMEs and young entrepreneurs who are the main drivers of creativity and innovation in the region. It is also essential to further strengthen the Public-Private-People Partnership within and among ACD Member States to ensure that all stakeholders utilize their potentials and undertake the responsibility for the sustainable economic development of Asia. In this regard, we welcome the successful convocation of ACD Business Conference and Young Entrepreneurs Innovation Summit in Fuzhou, China in May 2016. (8) We welcome the launching of the 1 st ACD Connect 2016 Business Forum under the theme Innovative Financial Connectivity for a Sustainable Asia in Bangkok on 9 October 2016. The ACD Business Forum highlights the importance
6 of financial connectivity and innovation in the region to support the integration of Asia to global markets. We particularly welcome the discussion on FinTech and financing infrastructure which provides an innovative platform for investors and financial regulators in Asia to explore wider prospects in financial connectivity and infrastructure funding that will bridge infrastructure gaps in the region. (9) We welcome the private sector s role and participation in ACD through ACD Connect Business Forum and encourage its continuity as an ACD Track II activity. We acknowledge the recommendations made by our private sector at the ACD Connect Business Forum 2016 on the need for a better cooperation between the government and the private sector to enhance the business environment and generate investment opportunities for our entrepreneurs. We concur that more work can be done in infrastructure financing. (10) Recalling past propositions on ACD funding, we will continue our discussions on the establishment of an ACD Development Fund. We agree to task the Secretary General to propose the modalities on the establishment of the Fund. (11) We congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran on the success in hosting the 1 st ACD Ministerial Meeting on Tourism in Tabriz during 29 30 August 2016 to reinforce our tourism cooperation in the ACD and increase cohesion and common links in the Asian tourism market. Home to a large number of global tourist destinations, ACD Member States should exchange our expertise and combine our strengths to raise our regional and international profile in tourism area. (12) We also appreciate the work done by the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the prime mover on Cultural Cooperation in hosting the 1 st and 3 rd ACD Senior Officials Meeting on Cultural Cooperation in Tehran, Iran on 9-10 May 2011 and 7-8 May 2013 respectively and welcome the decision of the 3 rd ACD Senior Officials Meeting on Cultural Cooperation for the establishment of ACD Cultural Coordination Center in Tehran. (13) We highly welcome the generous offer of the Islamic Republic of Iran to host the 3 rd ACD Summit in 2018 which will further propel the momentum of ACD cooperation and decision-making at the highest level. (14) We appreciate the work of the United Arab Emirates as the new Chair and her offer to host the 15 th ACD Ministerial Meeting under the theme of Abu Dhabi, Capital of Sustainable Energy in January 2017. We are of the view that the upcoming Ministerial Meeting in Abu Dhabi will provide a good opportunity for discussions on the situation of energy security at both regional and global levels. (15) We express our appreciation to the Kingdom of Thailand as the host country of the 2 nd ACD Summit in Bangkok. Adopted in Bangkok, the Kingdom of Thailand, on 10 October 2016